Peanut Butter Thumbprints

A twist on the classic thumbprint that swaps the standard jam or jelly for a home-cooked raisin-date filling. The result is less tooth-achingly sweet than the jam version and more satisfying in that old-fashioned, pantry-staple way. The peanut butter dough stays tender and crumbly around a dark, sticky center of dried fruit.

The filling is worth the extra ten minutes on the stove. Simmering raisins and chopped dates with sugar, water, and lemon juice until thick gives you a glossy, jam-like paste that holds its shape in the indentation without weeping or bubbling over.

For the cookie itself, use standard supermarket peanut butter, not the natural kind. The emulsifiers in regular peanut butter give a more reliable dough that rolls into clean, even balls and doesn’t turn oily at room temperature.

Make the thumbprint well fairly wide and a little deep. A shallow dent will let the filling slide right out as the cookie spreads.

Kitchen Tips

• Chill the dough 30 minutes if it’s too soft to roll cleanly.
• Use a measuring teaspoon rather than eyeballing portions; these need to be uniform for even baking.
• Press indentations with the rounded end of a wooden spoon for consistency.
• Store in an airtight tin with a slice of bread to keep them soft up to a week.

Variations

• Skip the raisin-date filling and use chocolate ganache or a Hershey’s kiss pressed in right after baking.
• Swap in fig and apricot for the filling for a brighter, tangier profile.
• Roll balls in granulated sugar or crushed peanuts before making the thumbprint indent.